Some games of Victor Ciocaltea

Never heard of Ciocaltea before, I've tracked him while searching for Sylvain Burstein, a French promising player of the 1950s with a really short chess career. They faced each other during a chess match between France and Romania played in 1955.

Anyway... Victor Ciocaltea [Bucharest 1932 - Manresa 1983], had been Romanian chess champion 8 times since 1952. He participated in many international chess tournaments and events and represented his country many times in chess Olympiads. But I think one of his greatest moments should be the 15th Chess Olympiad of 1962, in Varna BGR. It was the only time where he played on the 1st board for his country and had the chance to face players such as Euwe, Fischer, Spassky, Gligoric and others. His win against Fischer should be considered of his greatest successes I think.

Fischer, in a interview for Het vrije volk of 15-10-1962, said that he shouldn't had lost this game and maybe he was right.

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The following game is from Dresden 1956 tournament, where he finished 3rd with 10.5/15, right after Averbakh & Kholmov who tied at the top with 12.

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And just two beautiful winning combinations...

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Ciocaltea died of a stroke young at the age of 51, just right before going to play a game within a tournament held in Manresa - Spain [Sep 10, 1983 - some details around are given in adevarul].

It seems that a dispute occurred between the Catalan Chess Federation [FCE] and the Romanian embassy around the treatment of his dead body...

google translation a little modified:

"THE LAST VISIT OF CIOCALTEA IN SPAIN. Víctor Ciocaltea, a good man

Victim of a brain stroke, Victor Ciocaltea died unexpectedly, when he was playing the open Manresa. He was 51 years old, and he was born in Bucharest in January 1932. He was the champion of his country seven times, and he was known in Catalan lands for having participated in many tournaments.

We should comment on the unfortunate attitude of the Romanian embassy in disregarding the transfer of the late player to his country of origin; The incineration was carried out by the FCE, and his ashes were returned by their own family to their country of origin."

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Anyway, just his last found game played few days before, within Berga open 1983, Spain

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Thanx for reading...